Following a new trailer for the video game adaptationWarcraft last week, a new featurette from the film has surfaced online, and it offers a glimpse at a set that will be very familiar to those who have played the game. The Lion’s Pride Inn is in the town of Goldshire, located in Elwynn Forest, and it’s like a lot of taverns and bars we’ve seen in fantasy and western movies. There’s rough clientele, fights break out, and it’s a good place to get a drink. In the game, it’s where you gain classes and find quests.

Now The Lion’s Pride Inn has been built for the movie, and a new Warcraft featurette has actor Rob Kazinsky, who was an avid player of the game himself, talks about just how details the set is, including plenty of design elements and easter eggs lifted straight from the game. Check out the video touring the set after the jump. Read More »

Director Duncan Jones has been coming to Comic Con with Warcraft for three years now. With the movie finally set to arrive in theaters just under a year from now, Comic-Con finally got a first look at some official footage from the video game adaptation, and it’s definitely something to talk about.

The footage on display has simultaneously some of the most beautiful visual effects footage I’ve ever seen, along with some of the most niche, heavy-fantasy, somewhat confusing story elements in recent memory. As someone who hasn’t ever dove into the world of Warcraft, I’ll do my best to break down what we saw in Hall H.

It feels like Duncan Jones‘ Warcraft has been in production since before the Horde or Alliance came into existance. The director finished filming about a year ago and ever since, has been very carefully showing hints and teases at big events like Comic-Con and BlizzCon. Most recently, the film’s release date was pushed back from Spring to Summer 2016 (the above logo is wrong), which disappointed fans but mostly meant the studio is confident in the film. Now we have an idea why.

The first official images from Warcraft have now been revealed showing off one of the film’s stars, the orc leader Orgrim Doomhammer. He’s played by Robert Kazinsky (Pacific Rim, True Blood) but beyond that performance he’s almost entirely the work of Industrial Light and Magic. Check out the Warcraft images below. Read More »

We haven’t seen much at all from the new Duncan Jones movie Warcraft, but at Blizzcon today the gates are opening on some of the film’s story. We’ve known most of the cast of the film, which includes Ben Foster, Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Toby Kebbell, Rob Kazinsky, Dominic Cooper, Daniel Wu and Clancy Brown. Until today we weren’t certain about most of their characters beyond the fact that Foster would play Medivh. Now we know roles for all the major players, and we’ve even got early renders of a couple of them in character. Meet the Warcraft movie characters below.

Jena Malone has landed the part of Southern Gothic writer Carson McCullers in Lonely Hunter, a biopic written and directed by Deborah Kampmeier (Hounddog). The film will encompass some 35 years of McCullers’ 50-year life, including her struggles with alcoholism, various illnesses, and a tumultuous marriage. McCullers is probably best known for her debut novel The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, but she also published poems, plays, and short stories throughout her lifetime and was part of the same literary circle as Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote.

Malone appeared in Sucker Punch earlier this year, and will star in next year’s lesbian werewolf romance Jack and Diane. Lonely Hunter is scheduled to begin shooting in spring 2012. [The Hollywood Reporter]

After the jump, World War Z gets a late addition and Vinessa Shaw struggles with the downside of smelling really, really good.

Malin Akerman has signed on to star with Tyler Labine, Lucy Punch, and Daniel Petronijevic in Cottage Country, an dark indie comedy by Canadian director Peter Wellington. Written by Jeremy Boxen (Endgame), the story follows Todd (Labine) as he plans to propose to Cammie (Akerman) at his family cottage. However, Todd’s plans are ruined by the arrival of his slacker brother (Petronijevic) and the brother’s free-spirited girlfriend (Punch).

The film will be Wellington’s first feature since 2003’s Luck. Wellington has been working primarily in television over the last several years, on shows including Rookie Blue and Slings and Arrows. The film is currently shooting in Ontario through late October for a 2012 release. [The Hollywood Reporter]

After the jump, Pacific Rim gets another star and John Hurt joins a project called Labyrinth that is totally unrelated to Jim Henson’s Labyrinth. Bet you got worried there for a second that it would be a remake.

Earlier this year, some personal issue caused the actor Rob Zazinsky to drop out of Peter Jackson’s two Hobbit films. But things are looking up, and slightly ironic to boot, because he’s now cast in former Hobbit director Guillermo del Toro‘s new film, Pacific Rim. And if things go well, he’ll be joined by Willem Dafoe, too. Read More »

Warner Bros/New Line Cinema and MGM have announced the start of production on The Hobbit in New Zealand, which includes a full update on the signed cast (many of which have been previously announced or rumored, but a couple new additions):

Martin Freeman takes the title role as Bilbo Baggins and Ian McKellen returns in the role of Gandalf the Grey. The Dwarves are played by Richard Armitage (Thorin Oakenshield), Ken Stott (Balin), Graham McTavish (Dwalin), William Kircher (Bifur) James Nesbitt (Bofur), Stephen Hunter (Bombur), Rob Kazinsky (Fili), Aidan Turner (Kili), Peter Hambleton (Gloin), John Callen (Oin), Jed Brophy (Nori), Mark Hadlow (Dori) and Adam Brown (Ori). Reprising their roles from “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy are Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Andy Serkis as Gollum and Elijah Wood as Frodo. Jeffrey Thomas and Mike Mizrahi also join the cast as Dwarf Kings Thror and Thrain, respectively. Further casting announcements are expected.

Director Peter Jackson has also launched a facebook page which will be updated throughout the production. The first updates includes two production photos featuring Jackson in a couple of the completed sets. Hit the jump to see everything.Read More »

Peter Jackson has, at long last, made an official announcement about who will appear in The Hobbit. He has confirmed Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, taking over the role originated by Ian Holm in The Lord of the Rings. A great many other names were released as well, almost all of whom make up the large company of Dwarves that hires Bilbo to be their ‘burgler’ before setting out to kill the dragon Smaug and recover the dwarven treasure the dragon uses as a bed. All the names are after the break. Read More »